Social Media and the NM Lt Governor’s Race
Here in New Mexico, the incumbent Lt Governor has stepped up to become the 2010 Democratic Candidate for Governor. On June 1, five candidates were on the ballot to be her successor in the Lt Governor’s slot. This is a small state, and this was not a high profile primary for Democrats. Still, about 125,300 people voted for one of the Lt Governor hopefuls. A simple majority was all that was needed to win.
The top two candidates garnered 53% of the vote with the margin between them coming in at only 5,397 votes. The results did reflect the amount of money raised and the number of ads placed on TV and radio around the state, but there was another difference between these candidates – their social media presence. The winner – Brian Colón – had about 2,800 Facebook friends on Election Day, and the runner-up – Lawrence Rael – had about 1,600 Facebook friends. Not only did Mr. Colón have a broader reach than Mr. Rael, but the level of comments and overall engagement was higher on Colón’s Facebook page.
In a very close race, direct efforts to get out the vote (GOTV) are critical. With a five-way race, delivering votes specifically for your candidate, is especially important. Facebook is a good way to repeatedly touch supporters, and – as Election Day nears – to ask for their vote. It is also a good venue for candidates to ask supporters to recommend them to their friends. Offline, a person can talk face-to-face about politics and who they intend to vote for with a limited group of people. However, with Facebook , many friends can be reached with a simple status update.
Requests from candidates, on Facebook, for a recommendation is certainly a low-cost way reap the benefits of an ongoing social media program to engage friends online. It also has the potential of being more effective than phone calls or direct mail. These friends are people that have been a virtual part of the campaign, following the candidate as he or she travels over several months. The relationship ties are stronger than with most other supporters. I don’t know if Mr. Colón’s Facebook friends made the difference, but with only a 5,397 margin of victory, and as someone who was with his campaign day-in and day-out over the last 6 – 8 weeks, I’m glad he stayed so engaged on Facebook.
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